Three UN staffers killed in Kabul terror attack: UN

UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Three UN staff members were among the 14 civilians killed Friday in a terrorist attack in Kabul, a spokesman for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said.

Identities of the UN international staffers were not released, nor were their nationalities or positions.

"The secretary-general condemns in the strongest terms the horrific attack at a restaurant in central Kabul," the spokesman said in a statement.

"Three UN personnel, along with a number of those from other international organizations, are now confirmed dead," said the statement. "Such targeted attacks against civilians are completely unacceptable and are in flagrant breach of international humanitarian law. They must stop immediately."

Earlier a UN spokesman, Farhan Haq, told Xinhua that four UN international staff members were believed in the vicinity of the restaurant at the time of the Friday evening attack and had not been accounted for hours afterward.

"The secretary-general sends his deepest condolences to the families and colleagues of those killed and his hopes for a swift recovery to those injured," the statement concluded.

The attack occurred at a Lebanese restaurant in a section of the Afghanistan capital popular with foreigners. Both Afghan and foreign civilians were among the victims.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Barack Obama on Friday ordered the establishment of a strategic partnership office to handle relations with Afghanistan and Pakistan, as most American and NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) combat troops are set to exit Afghanistan by the end of this year. Full story